


Know What You Are Missing

by PoetsReach



Category: The Martian (2015), The Martian - All Media Types, The Martian - Andy Weir
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Mpreg, Past Mpreg, because dialogue is not my thing, some quotes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-26 00:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10775217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoetsReach/pseuds/PoetsReach
Summary: The rest of the crew was walking on eggshells around him. It was somewhat of an open secret among the crew who Mark Watney was to him, and his son, though they probably had no idea of the truth of it. He barely noticed.





	Know What You Are Missing

**Author's Note:**

> If I screwed up with naming the kid please let me know. I did my research on, like, babyname.com and name meaning .com or something. Also, I have nothing against Catholicism, people are individuals and make their own choices on how to interpret their religion and how to treat others (and yes, I know it’s not always that simple).

Rick Martinez had no idea how he managed to safely pilot the MAV back up to the Hermes. He certainly didn’t remember much of the ascent later. Just asking Commander Lewis for verbal confirmation to launch and the thick fog he felt himself moving through. Afterwards, the rest of the crew was walking on eggshells around him. It was somewhat of an open secret among the crew who Mark Watney was to him, and his son, though they probably had no idea of the truth of it. He barely noticed. 

They had made the decision to wait until after the mission to try and start anything together after recognizing each other at NASA. That seemed so stupid now. He had known there was a spark there, he shouldn't have risked letting that chance pass him by. Not with Mark. 

\-------

It had been almost three years after the first time they met when they were once again introduced, this time in the Ares program. The sterile halls of NASA’s medical facilities about as far from that dark noisy bar as Rick could imagine. The flirting though, that was pretty much the same, both of them picking up right where they had left off three years earlier. It took Rick a couple of days to get his head on straight and realize the magnitude of this. Now he knew who “Hey, I'm Mark” was. And he knew why he had had so many plants in his hotel room, though that was really secondary. The important part was that now he had a last name to go with ‘Mark’. Not only that, he had several ways to contact him, Hell, he saw the man almost every day now that they were training as a team. He really needed to tell him. It’s not like he turned out to be some sort of shady character; he was a great guy. 

He deserved to know. 

Rick really hoped the flirting didn't stop once Mark found out about his kid. Their kid. Who had just turned one a few months ago. That was going to be tricky to explain. But you couldn't fly planes with a massive belly now could you? The stasis had been a good thing, he’d been able to wait until he was in a better position to take the time on desk duty. Not that that was ever going to be a great move for his career, but it couldn't be helped. And hey, he got into NASA anyway. He needed to tell Mark and he needed to do it soon or he would have even more explaining to do.

He worried about how to tell him. First he considers inviting him over and buttering him up with a nice meal first, but then he realized he was being a massive cliche and Mark wasn’t like that anyway. He wasn't the kind of alpha who expected that of an omega. So he asked him out to coffee after they finished at NASA for the day. He decided against starting with “Hey, you remember how the condom broke and I said it was fine because I wasn’t in heat and we were both clean?”

“So, what’s this about? You sounded like you had something you wanted to talk about.” Mark asked as soon as they found a booth in the back of the shop.

“What makes you think I have something I need to say?”

“You've been dodgy all day and you know it, spit it out.” When Rick didn't say anything he went on, less sure of himself. “Am I making you uncomfortable? Is that it? Do you want me to stop flirting, because I will if you want? I mean, I thought it was mutual but if you don’t like it…”

“No! I like it. It’s not about that. Not exactly anyway. It’s about what happened three years ago actually… I… Well I got pregnant. We have a son.”

“Wow. Now that I wasn’t expecting. Just let me take that in for a moment, okay?” Mark blinked for a few moments. “Okay! I'm back. So I have--we have--a kid. Wow. That's not why you've been flirting with me, right? Because I’ll be there for the two of you no matter what. You don't need to, like, cort me if you don't want to or anything.”

“Why are you so convinced I don't really want to be flirting with you?” Rick asked, raising one eyebrow.

“I don't know? I mean, I am kind of awesome.” Now Mark was smirking.

Rick snorted but he couldn't hide his smile.

“So, do I get to meet him?” Mark asked, fidgeting nervously. “He'd be just past two now, right?”

Rick sat for a moment thinking. All of this had gone so much better than he had hoped, but there was still one thing that could make this go wrong from the beginning. “You should know, I loved him from the start, okay. He might not have been planned, but I loved him as soon as I knew.

“Rick, you’re freaking me out now, what’s wrong?! Is he sick? What is it? Because it won’t change how I feel about him.” Mark was sitting forward in his seat now, a look of concern on his face.

“Nothing like that!” Rick was quick to assure him. “It’s just that I had the pregnancy put into stasis for a while. Just until I could get the desk duty without getting myself into a lot of trouble.” Rick could tell he was getting defensive, his voice rising, but he couldn't help it.

“Rick, what asshole told you that means you don’t love your baby?” Mark asked, his voice quiet but with a definite edge to it.

“My family is Catholic, it was bad enough I was having a kid out of wedlock, not letting it proceed naturally was just the last straw for some of them.” Rick admitted, picking at his napkin.

“I’m sorry I wasn't there.”

“Yeah, well, it was a one night stand.”

“What do you say we give it a real shot? I mean, clearly we still get along.” Mark said, nudging his foot into Rick’s under the table, smiling as he did so.

“I like the sound of that. But let's wait till after the mission. I don’t want to risk getting pulled for fraternization.” Rick said. Seeing that Mark was shifting, like there was something he wanted to protest about he was quick to add, “I won’t keep you from Mat, don’t worry about that.” He assured him, and was glad to see him relax.

“His name is Mat?”

“Mateo, Mat or Mattie for short.” Rick smiled at how eager Mark seemed to hear about his son. This was going much better than he had feared. “Do you want to come meet him? I have to go pick him up from my sitter now.”

“Yes! Absolutely. I would love to meet him.” Mark was practically bouncing, whether from excitement or nerves was hard to tell.

\-------

Martinez shook himself out of his fog of memory. That first meeting had been everything he had dreamed. Mat had even been in a good mood and had been fine being held and fussed over by someone he had never met, which, honestly had been a small miracle. They had even had dinner together as a family. Over the following months they had worked out a sort of schedule. At work they would flirt, as always, then they would spend at least two to three of the work evenings together as a family, as well as most of the weekends. Of course there were ups and downs, there always are, but overall things were good. Mat was quick to attach himself to this new grown-up in his life and Mark absolutely loved that. That's how the year before launch went. 

As launch approached Rick could tell that Mark was worrying about something. It wasn’t until he brought up that his sister was coming out to do a test run taking care of Mat that he realized what it was. Mark had been wondering what he had planned for Mattie while he was in space, but hadn’t wanted to imply anything by asking. He was grateful, he knew he would have taken it wrong, still touchy about people implying he didn’t love his baby. But his sister had always been nothing but supportive. She was his biggest ally from day one. She had been the first one he told he was pregnant and the one that had suggested stasis when he’d worried about what would happen with the Air Force. Honestly he wouldn’t trust anyone else to take care of his baby while he was in space. And God forbid should he not come back. Well, except for Mark, but Mark was going to be in space with him.

Over the year, they had taken a lot of pictures and videos, both to remember and for Mat to look at and watch while they were gone. While Marissa was visiting with them she took so many pictures and videos of them as a family, both of them together with Mateo, that it boggled his mind. At the time he had honestly been kind of annoyed she was constantly glued to her phone, but now he understood. She had been worried that one, or both of them, wouldn’t come back, and she wanted as much material with them as a family as possible. For Mateo. For whoever was left. The day befor she had headed home for the month before launch she had take the photo that she had printed out and sent them each a copy of. He carried it on him at all times and he knew Mark had as well. It was one of the ones she had had framed and put in Mateo’s room at home. It was the one he was crying over right now, carefull not to get it wet. 

He needed to pull himself together, he had a job to do and later there would be a data dump, hopefully with pictures of Mateo’s third birthday party. It broke his heart that he had missed it, but he was looking forward to all of the photos (and possibly videos) he knew Marissa would have taken. It was made bittersweet by the fact that he wouldn’t get to share them with Mark. Speaking of Mark, Marissa hadn’t mentioned him once in an email in the last two months. Plenty about Mattie, but not a word about Mark. That was very odd, not like her at all since she would know that he was hurting and it had always helped him to talk about people he was missing. He’d have to confront her about that, he’d thought she liked Mark, but maybe not. He couldn’t think of another reason for her silence about him. 

\---------

As he watched Mitch Henderson explain how he would answer any questions they had about Mark and how he was alive, how it wasn’t their fault the father of his child was stranded on Mars, Rick Martinez blacked out. 

He woke up to Beck leaning over him as he lay on one of the couches in the rec room. As Beck began asking him how he was feeling and what happened back there, he decided he needed them to know, so for the first time he looked one of his friends and crewmates in the eye and said, “Mark’s Mattie’s father.” Then there was silence.

Lewis finally spoke up. “And how did that happen? You’d already had Mateo when you joined NASA.”

“We met at a bar five years ago. Didn’t exchange last names or anything. I was on leave, he was at a botany conference. By the time I realized, I had no way to contact him.”

“And you never told NASA this because?”

“They never asked, and we didn’t technically start a relationship, we were just co-parenting Mateo. We didn’t want to risk being scrubbed from the mission.”

Lewis sighed. “Well there’s nothing anyone can do about it now any way. Your sister is taking care of him right?”

“Yes she is.”

“Why don’t you go see what she sent from his birthday party? Everyone else, go check your mail.”

“Ja, we should do that.” Vogel said, shepherding the others away. 

Beck hung back until they were alone. “I need to know, is there any chance that you could be pregnant?”

Rick’s head whipped around to look at him. “What? No!” 

“Okay, I just had to ask, fainting can be a simptom.”

“There is no chance, we’ve only had sex the once, when I got pregnant with Mat.” He rubbed his hands over his face. 

Beck looked reluctant, but seemed mostly satisfied that Martinez was fine and left to check his mail. 

\----------

Getting to talk to Mark, even just through text, was the most wonderful feeling. He couldn't resist falling into their standard flirting, picking fun at each other to make the other laugh. Getting to be the first on the Hermes to talk to Mark was… satisfying.

Getting Mark’s letter after the breach of the Hab, when Mark lost the crops, asking him to talk to his parents if things didn’t work out and he died on Mars pretty much broke his heart. It was obvious what he wasn't saying. That he wanted Mattie to know he died doing something he loved. Something bigger. That he did everything in his power to come home to him. To them. That he was only alluding to it, knowing it might be read by the psychologists, still respecting Rick’s wishes, was both sweet and frustrating.

\------------------

Listening to Vogel explain the new maneuver they had been sent Rick felt like he was in a dream. When he had finished and commander Lewis had thanked him all Martinez could think to say was, “Would this really work?”

“Ja.” said Vogel, nodding. “I ran the numbers. They all check out. It is brilliant course. Amazing.”

Martinez was already beginning to process the particulars of how this would work. How Mark would get off Mars, why this was a secret. He knew that if it was up to him they would be doing this. Screw mutiny, fuck his career in the Air Force if that's what it came to. He could get a civilian job and come home to Mateo every night. He'd be fine, better than fine with Mark there. He was pulled back to the present when the commander called for the final vote.

Martinez could barely believe they were actually going back for Mark. Yes, it meant being away from his baby for over a year longer than he had planned, but being able to bring back his daddy, safe and sound, that would make it worth it. They could have the rest of their lives together as a family to make up for it. Marissa, predictably, was pissed, but she knew he was right, Mark would have done the same for him. Honestly, throughout the video call all he could do was stare at his baby, his little Mateo. He hadn't seen him in real time in over a year and he had grown so much. Picures and the occasional video had not prepared him for this. 

\----------------

The day they found out Mark lost the rover communications, well... that sucked.  
When the message came through with the data dump Martinez got real quiet and excused himself to go to his quarters, read Marissa’s latest email and look at the latest pictures of his baby that she had sent. There really wasn’t anything else to do. Mark was on Mars, alone, and the only form of communication he had was writing in morse code with rocks, leaving messages for NASA to read. No way to talk to him in return. All he could do now was pray that Mark would be able to get to Ares 4 on his own, without NASA watching over him. With no one to warn him of storms or if he got off course or off schedule. All he could do was pray. If having the crucifix hadn’t been what saved Mark, let him make water, Rick would wish that he had it with him now. 

\-----------------------

When it came time to do the Earth flyby and meet up with the resupply probe everyone was on the edge of their seats. As he piloted it in to dock with the Hermes he watched the video from the docking bay and listened to Beck’s commentary, he was relieved when the ship gave him the signal that the maneuver was complete. The resupply from the taiyang shen went perfectly and everyone, both on the ship and at the space agencies on Earth, breathed a sigh of relief.

\----------------

Rick was not sure how he spent all of his free time on the journey back to Mars, but he was sure he must have been driving everyone up the walls.

\------------

“Nope, killed him again Martinez.” Beth Johanssen announced as she began to reset the simulation with new parameters.

“I know. Let's go again. I need to get this right. I need to be able to handle whatever happens.” 

“Another scenario coming right up. We'll come back to the other one.” Beth assured him.

Lewis walked past and patted Martinez on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We still have months before we get there. You'll get it.”

“Thanks commander.” Martinez replied.

\---------------

He was honestly kind of envious of Johanssen getting to talk to Mark again first, so when she stepped away from the console for a moment he couldn't help himself.

[19:29] JOHANSSEN: When we pick you up, I will make wild, passionate love to you. Prepare your body.

He heard Beth’s squeal of outrage when she turned around to see him at the console and hit enter with glee.

[19:29] JOHANSSEN: I didn't type that! That was Martinez! I stepped away from the console for like 10 seconds!

[19:29] MAV: I've really missed you guys.

Getting to talk to Mark for the first time since Pathfinder died was great. Getting to pretend to be Johansson made it even better. He wasn't actually planning to fuck Mark Watney on the Hermes, but it was tempting. 

\-----------

When the big day came Rick knew he was as prepared as he could realistically be. They all were. But that didn't stop the nerves.

\------------

“All right, tomorrow’s the big day.” Lewis said, floating gently in the Rec. she looked at all of them. 

Martinez nodded, “I’m ready; Johanssen threw everything she could at me. I got all scenarios to orbit.” Some of those scenarios only barely got to orbit, but they got there. Now he just had to do it for real, no do overs, no second chances, Mark’s life on the line. This would determine if his son grew up without a sire. Before he met Mark again he hadn’t honestly been that worried about it. He knew that Mateo would wonder about it one day, but he knew that they were going to be okay, just the two of them. If he found a partner, great, if not they’d be okay. Now that he knew what it was like to have Mark be there for them. To have a family be the three of them. Now he didn’t think he could go back. 

Johanssen made sure to point out that he hadn’t gotten the catastrophic failures to launch successfully, but honestly he didn’t know why she had bothered to simulate an ascent explosion, he had a sinking feeling she was trying to prepare him for the possibility that there would be nothing he could do. He wasn’t thinking about that. If it happened it happened and he couldn’t change that. Best not to dwell and invite it. 

Lewis checked in with the others, making sure that everyone was ready and on course for tomorrow to be a success. “Okay, the plan for tomorrow is pretty obvious,” Lewis said. “Martinez will fly the MAV, Johanssen will sysop the ascent. Beck and Vogel, I want you in Airlock 2 with the outer door open before the MAV even launches.” As she continued to give instructions and the others responded, Martinez remained focused despite the energy buzzing through him. He wasn’t sure if it was excitement or dread. Definitely adrenaline, either way. Lewis finished by telling them to get sleep, and if they couldn’t, to check their equipment. 

“We’ll get him, Commander. Twenty-four hours from now, Mark Watney will be right here in this room.” He had to be, Martinez was counting on it.

“Let’s hope so, Major,” Lewis said.

Martinez propelled himself toward his quarters. He wasn’t sure he would be able to sleep, but he’d already run all of the diagnostics on his equipment that he could and more wouldn’t do him any good. He might be able to rest though, and there were a few videos of Mateo and Mark and him that he wanted to watch, they always calmed him down. Marissa had also sent a few new ones with the latest data dump that he wanted to watch again. He tuned into his quarters only to find Vogel waiting for him at his door. 

“I wanted to talk to you, this is okay?” Vogel asked. 

Martinez wasn’t sure what this was about, but it was usually worth hearing Vogel out, that and he was a nice guy. “Sure, what did you want to talk about?” He asked.

“Something my wife said once, when we got news that I would be on this mission.”

When Vogel left, Rick got ready for bed, and strapped himself into his bunk before setting up his tablet on the wall and watching the videos he had stored on it. He knew he’d think on what Vogel had said, no matter how things went tomorrow. He knew that coming back for Mark had been a sacrifice for Vogel. He knew that ache of being away from a child who depended on you for everything. Whatever happened he didn’t think he would be going into space again. Even if NASA offered. He knew Mattie would love him no matter what. Even if he couldn’t bring his daddy back to him, so long as he forgave himself for it and could be there for Mattie 100 percent things would be okay. Maybe not what he had hoped, but okay.

He went to sleep listening to the sound of Mateo and Mark laughing as Mark blew raspberries on his son’s belly. 

\---------------------------

As Rick strapped himself into his seat on the bridge and readied his station for the launch he listened to Commander Lewis go through the pre launch steps, each of them responding when necessary. 

“Fuel pressure?”

“Fuel pressure green,” Johanssen responded. “Engine alignment is good. Communications are five by five. Commander, we are ready for preflight checklist.”

As Martinez listened he began to relax into the routine structure. It was comforting when they were doing something that was definitely not routine. That had never been done before. 

“Remote Command.” Lewis said.

“Go,” Martinez responded.

“Pilot.”

“Go,” Watney responded from the MAV.

As Commander Lewis wrapped up the checklist, confirming that Johanssen, Beck, and Vogel were all ready with Telemetry, Recovery, and Secondary Recovery Rick felt his pounding heart begin to calm.

Finally finished, Commander Lewis announced, “Mission Control, this is Hermes Actual. We are go for launch and will proceed on schedule. We are T-minus four minutes, ten seconds to launch… mark.” Then for Mark’s benefit, “About four minutes, Mark. How are you doing down there?”

“Eager to get up there, Commander,” Watney responded, sounding like he was close to tears.

“We’re going to make that happen. Remember, you'll be pulling some pretty heavy g’s. It’s okay to pass out. You’re in Martinez’s hands.” Lewis assured him.

Mark’s voice was thick, but his response maintained his usual humor, “Tell that asshole no barrel rolls.”

“Copy that, MAV,” Lewis said, the corners of her mouth turning up.

Martinez couldn't help help the grin on his face.

“Four more minutes.” Martinez flexed his hands and cracked his knuckles. “You ready for some flying, Beth?”

“Yah, it'll be strange to sysop a launch and stay in zero-g the whole time.” Johanssen said.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but yah. I’m not going to be squashed against the back of my seat. Weird.” Martinez responded.

Those four minutes seemed the longest and shortest of his life. Except maybe the four minutes preceding getting the pregnancy test results. It was close.

Then Johanssen was starting the countdown and it was time. “Main engines start,” Martinez announced, reaching for the control panel. That was the last thing that cooperated with him during the launch.

The velocity was too low at seven hundred and forty-one meters per second and so was the altitude at thirteen hundred and fifty meters. As he responded to Commander Lewis’s observation all he could hear in his head was Beth telling him, “Killed him again Martinez” only this time there would be no trying again. “I know. It's sluggish; fighting me. What the fuck is going on?” As Johanssen updated him he realized they were gaining velocity, but not like they should be. “I’m not getting the power I need!” Something had gone wrong, either there was not as much power in the MAV MAN as they thought, or there was more resistance than expected, too much drag. Johanssen was telling him that he was getting full power and he knew it still wasn't right. “I’m telling you it’s sluggish,” he insisted as Lewis tried to check in with Mark. Mark wasn't responding.

Finally things seemed to improve. “I’m getting more response now,” Martinez announced.

“Back on track with full acceleration. Must have been drag. MAV’s out of the atmosphere now,” Johanssen echoes Martinez’s earlier thoughts. 

“It was like flying a cow.” Martinez allowed himself to complain, grumbling as he attended to the controls. 

“Maybe this was salvageable…” he thought as Lewis asked if they could get him up and Johanssen responded that he could make it to orbit.

Rick was on edge as they waited for Johanssen to work out Mark’s orbit. “Distance at intercept will be….” Johanssen choked. “We'll be sixty-eight kilometers apart.” 

That was not what Rick was hoping to hear. He felt his heart sink. “God damnit,” he choked out.

Lewis was telling them all to keep it together and he was trying. Mark was depending on them. They would have to find a way to get to Mark. They only had thirty-nine minutes to do it, and according to Vogel the ion engines weren't going to cut it.

“Martinez, what if we point our attitude thrusters all the same direction?” Lewis asked him.

Martinez didn’t need to stop and think, “Depends on how much fuel we want to save for adjustments on the trip home.” This might just work. He checked the numbers and Lewis told Johanssen to check how much fuel they would need to use. He could manage the trip home with twenty percent of the remaining fuel. Johanssen said they only needed to use seventy-five point five percent of the remaining fuel. They'd have enough. 

“Do it,” Lewis ordered.

“Aye, Commander,” Martinez said.

Then Johanssen kept talking and his heart sank. Their intercept range might be zero, but the intercept velocity would be “Forty-two meters per second.” 

“Then we have thirty-nine minutes to figure out how to slow down. Martinez, burn the jets.”

“Aye,” Martinez said. Closer, they were getting closer to saving Mark and salvaging that disaster of a launch. He had to believe they would figure out the velocity problem. He really hoped that Mark would wake up soon. He knew that that was a lot of gs Mark just pulled, but the silence was starting to worry him.

The biomonitor data was a Godsend. Mark might be unconscious, but at least they knew he was alive. He would have to find a way to thank Beck for that idea later. He could still remember what it was like to listen in on the coms as Mark’s biomonitor had flatlined during the evacuation, hearing that Mark at least had a pulse was a relief now.

\----------------

They had thirty-two minutes to intercept, and no one could think of a way to slow down. All this would be for nothing if they couldn't slow down. There was no way for Beck to grab him at this speed.

\--------------

“MAV to Hermes.”

My God, wasn't that a beautiful sound. He’d missed the sarcasm, but it was clear from how he was talking that Mark was in pain. Not surprising given he seemed to think he had broken a rib. 

It was a strange mix of relieving and terrifying to find out that the canvas over the front of the MAV didn't hold. He was relieved to find out it wasn't a screwup of his that landed them in their current predicament, but the idea of Mark going into space with nothing over the front of the ship was somehow worse than there being nothing but Hab canvass. Not that that was much.

“Hey, I've got an idea.” Watney always seemed to have an idea. A lot of them were bat shit, but he always seemed to have something. That was probably how he’d kept himself alive alone on Mars. Unfortunately this seemed to be one of the bat shit ones. Really Mark? Puncturing your sout and using the escaping air as thrust? 

“How does he come up with This shit?!” Martinez asked. And why did Commander Lewis seem to be entertaining it?

Really Mark? Iron Man?

“We’ll keep working on ideas,” Lewis said. 

“Thank God!” thought Martinez. But that didn't last for long.

“Maybe it’s not such a bad idea,” Lewis said.

All Martinez could do was say, “You kidding, Commander? It’s a terrible idea. He’d shoot off into space-”

“Not the whole idea, the use of atmosphere as thrust.” Lewis assured him. Which, honestly didn't sound much better.

\--------------

Blowing the VAL was borderline insane, but it might work and they really didn't have the time to try and come up with anything else. 

\----------------

There was still the problem of getting both airlock doors to be open at the same time.

A bomb. Lewis was really on a role. It was like she was going through the list of things no one ever bothered to tell them never to do, but only because they were such obviously terrible ideas they just didn't think it was necessary. And the thing was, everyone was going along with it and even contributing because it just might work. 

Beck at least seemed confident enough in their survival that he wanted his lab mice kept safe.

He was pretty sure that NASA was having some sort of fit listening in on this. Well, at least the parts Commander Lewis was bothering to clew them in on.

All they could do now is turn the ship, blow the VAL and hope for the best. And pray that Mateo would still have at least one parent after this, preferably two.

\---------------

The bridge seal held and the nose of the ship did not get blown off, so at least there was that. 

“What’s our relative velocity and distance to MAV?” Lewis asked Johanssen.

“We’ll get within twenty-two meters and we’re at twelve meters per second. We actually got better than expected thrust.” Johanssen answered her, smiling.

Martinez couldn't believe it had actually worked. They were going to get Mark. Now it was all up to Beck. But unlike most of what they had ended up doing today, this, rescuing a stranded crew mate, was something NASA had actually trained Beck to do. This would go fine.

Hearing that Beck could see the MAV somehow made it all more real. Listening to Beck, Johanssen, and Watney’s commentary on what was going on kept Rick on the edge of his seat, as much as you could be in zero g any way.

“Aboard!” Beck said. As Vogel announced that he was closing the airlock.

“Yes!” Martinez yelled.

\-----------------

Once the ship repressurized everyone in the control room rushed to Beck’s quarters--aka the sick bay--to meet Mark. When they got there Beck had already gotten Mark out of his space suit. Honestly they smelled him before they even got there. He was rank. 

They didn't get much time to say hello before Dr. Beck chased them off so Mark could shower and rest. Before he left Rick did manage to get one very pungent and careful hug though. 

“So, you must be excited. You have Mat’s dad back.” Johanssen cut into his thoughts as they floated toward the rec room.

“Yes, congratulations.” Vogel added, giving his shoulder a friendly squeeze.

“Thanks guys, I can't wait to tell Mattie.” He he was really looking forward to the next time they could send some video. Mat had almost stopped asking about Mark or ‘daddy’ after the evacuation and before they found out they might be able to save Mark, according to his sister. Probably because every time he did, people got upset. Apparently ever since they had found out there was hope he hadn’t stopped, asking almost daily and in every communication there was a mention. Not that Mat really had the vocabulary to go on at any length on a subject; but he was persistent and excited to get his parents back soon. Rick was a little worried that he didn't really have an accurate idea of how long the trip back to earth was really going to be. 

\-------------------

In the days following the rescue they spent a lot of time checking over systems and reorganizing the mess caused by the decompression as well as salvaging any experiments they could. All of the experiments initially planned for the transit time had been completed long ago and the results carefully stored for the return to earth. Anything that had been damaged was just something NASA had them doing with the extra time and any extra materials they had that had been thrown together last minute. Luckily the plants had been stored in a sealed area and they had moved the mice. Mark would be happy about that once Beck let him out of the sick bay. 

Beck had been spending a lot of time bullying Mark into resting properly so his ribs could heal, and carefully monitoring his food intake, slowly upping the calorie count to try and keep him from getting sick. So far, it seemed to be working, but as they were all hearing, from both Mark and Beck, Mark was not a happy, easy patient. He was hungry, and he was board. They all stopped in as often as they could, both to reassure themselves that he was there and recovering and to entertain him. Rick felt he was particularly successful at this. He did have a computer full of video of Mateo and letters from the last year that Mark hadn’t had the chance to see yet, so that probably gave him an unfair advantage. Vogel’s kids were cute, but Mateo was theirs.

Beck was probably more relieved than any of them when he finally cleared Mark to move about the ship and eat what he wanted. Mostly because he thought Mark was ready, but possibly in part because he couldn't stand the almost constant whining any more.

Martinez volunteered to room with Mark and make sure that there was someone with him during the night cycle in case something went wrong. He knew he wasn’t exactly being subtle or fooling anyone, but at that point he didn't much care and neither did Mark.

They weren't going to have sex, to risky, between the chance of pregnancy depending on what they did, getting caught by a crewmate and Mark’s still tender ribs. But they could squeeze together in one bunk and sleep holding each other. Honestly, after everything they had gone through, that was just as good.

\---------------

The moment the reentry capsule splashed down into the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida, and everyone confirmed they were fine was one of the best any of them would ever have. They had made it, all of them had made the trip to walk on Mars and all of them had made it back. It was an amazing feeling.

The moment they were able to rush over to their waiting families, after being checked over by medical to make sure none of them were going to collapse, and a sobbing Mateo jumped into their arms and clung to them was even better. Everything was going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are love.


End file.
